Chapter 763 Repeal of the Corn Laws

Chapter 763 Repeal of the Corn Laws

September 18, 1846, London, England.

"My Lords, I stand here today to do something important and urgent - the repeal of the Corn Laws!"

As soon as Robert Peel began his speech, someone in the audience began to undermine him.

"We don't care about those paupers in Ireland! If they die, we can still get the land there, and we can save the cost of the police and the army!"

Another voice shouted: "I don't agree with you, you can't kill all the cockroaches!"

"Ha ha!"

The atmosphere suddenly became lively, and Robert Peel banged the table.

"Shut up! This is not just for the Irish, but for everyone! We in the UK are a country that cares about people's well-being and social justice!

The Corn Laws were a ridiculous mistake! It violates the principle of free trade! This is a betrayal of The Wealth of Nations and Mr. Adam Smith! "

"You fart! Mr. Prime Minister! That's not what you said when you asked us to buy land in Ireland! Britain said it would protect our interests!

Without those of us who dig food from the ground, Britain would not be able to defeat Spain, and you would not have the good life you have today! "

"Yes, we are the cornerstone of this country! If foreigners are allowed to sell food in, then we will be choked by others!

You'll know how awesome it is when the whole of Britain can't afford bread! "

"No, free trade will only make bread cheaper! I am sure of this! And it was our great navy that defeated the Spanish! It was our great Guards that defeated Napoleon!

What made the British Empire prosperous were the merchants who braved the wind and waves, the colonists who overcame all obstacles, the diligent factory owners, and the generous bankers!

What are you? The worm of the country! The bones lying on the ground waiting to die!

If you are still men and have British blood in your blood, you should go and break out! Go fight! To create more wealth, not stop me from doing the right thing! "

After Robert Peel finished speaking, warm applause broke out in the venue, and both Whig and Tory MPs stood up and applauded.

There were more Whigs than Tories represented by Robert Peel, which seemed to prove that something could transcend party affiliation.

However, in fact, the main harm caused by the abolition of the Corn Laws was the traditional landed aristocracy, because agricultural products from foreign countries and colonies would drive down the prices of domestic agricultural products.

The former Corn Laws not only imposed high tariffs on imported grains, but also imposed high tariffs on imported wool, timber, raw silk, coal and 60 other commodities, and prohibited the export of machinery and patterns.

The previous ban on exporting machines and drawings has been lifted.

Since tariff barriers allow landowners to make money while lying down, they naturally gain the support of these people.

However, the reality is that the Corn Laws caused grain and coal prices to continue to rise. On the one hand, it caused social unrest, and on the other hand, it also harmed the interests of the emerging industrial bourgeoisie.

At the same time, the rise of the Austrian Empire also exacerbated this crisis, because there were more goods, but the market was the same as before, or even smaller.

As for quality, the British failed miserably. The technologies of the two sides were completely different in some aspects, and the design concepts were even different by two hundred years.

Than propaganda? Can the British win over the Habsburg family, which has been passed down for dozens of generations? The royal family is a sign that no amount of money from businessmen can compare with.

If it weren't for the slow spread of information in this era, the British market would probably be taken away more by Austria.

But Franz has actually been restrained. Although money is a good thing, it is not a good thing to arouse the hostility of the British too early.

Closer to home, the Tories are mostly composed of traditional aristocrats, so they are mostly opposed to Robert Peel, while the Whigs are mostly upstarts, and they will naturally support this policy. This is determined by their interests.

However, Robert Peel's desire to repeal the Corn Laws was not entirely selfish. After all, he was a Tory MP and his family still had a large amount of land.

In fact, some British nobles at that time really didn't know how to make progress. They just wanted to make money from the land, just like the manor owners in the Middle Ages.

Especially the wool industry and grain industry, because they also started to use fertilizers, but the increase in agricultural production in Britain was only half of that in Germany.

Is it because guano is not as good as German soil fertilizer?

Tukeli refers to phosphate. In fact, Britain was the first country in the world to produce superphosphate fertilizer.

With the voices of the landed aristocracy silenced, Robert Peel continued his speech.

“The law should not restrict people from buying and selling freely, and the government should not do this!

Actions that violate the principles of free trade will definitely be punished. We don’t want another economic crisis! "

In fact, there were signs of another economic crisis in Britain at this time, which is why Robert Peel repealed the Corn Laws so radically.

In fact, there was another historical condition at that time, that is, the British mainland was hit by disasters for two consecutive years, first with drought and then with floods. After the floods finally receded, the cholera epidemic broke out again, and the whole of Britain was in chaos.

The word economic crisis is still very threatening. In fact, contrary to what many people imagine, the loan rate for landlords is actually very high.

Especially after disasters and famine years, agriculture is actually less risk-resistant than industry. The former has to bear not only market risks, but also natural risks.

In the mid-19th century, people's ability to transform nature was still insufficient, so the economic crisis was equally terrible for the landowners.

"Repeal the Corn Laws and sign new trade agreements with continental countries so we can tap into markets with strong industry.

As for farmers, you don’t need to worry, because when the industry makes money, the state will subsidize you in another form! "

As soon as they heard about the subsidies, the landed aristocracy was completely shaken. After all, they opposed the repeal of the Corn Laws in order to make more money. Now that they can make money by repealing the Corn Laws, it doesn't matter whether they oppose it or not.

The audience burst into warm applause again, and Robert Peel took a deep bow.

"Dear Members of Parliament! The repeal of the Corn Laws is urgent and necessary! We cannot tolerate this unfair law any longer!

We must unite and insist on free trade. Only in this way can we escape the shadow of the economic crisis!

Let's do our best together! Create a free and fair trade environment for our country! Let every gentleman make a lot of money!

thank you all! "

The entire venue burst into unprecedented warm applause, and some members even threw their hats into the air.

"Long live!"

"Long live the repeal of the Corn Laws!"

"Long live free trade!"

"Long live the British Empire!"

On September 18, 1846, the British government officially passed a resolution to abolish the Corn Laws. Almost at the same time, a large amount of grain from the colonies of the Austrian Empire poured into the island of Ireland.